The is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of

Official Development Assistance Official development assistance (ODA) is a category used by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to measure foreign aid. The DAC first adopted the concept in 1969. It ...

(ODA) for the

government of Japan The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state ...

. It is chartered with assisting economic and social growth in

developing countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...

, and the promotion of international cooperation. The OECD's

Development Assistance Committee The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) is a forum to discuss issues surrounding aid, development and poverty reduction in developing countries. It describes itself as being the ...

published a peer review of Japan's development co-operation in October 2020. It was led by Dr.

Shinichi Kitaoka is a Japanese political scientist. He has held many roles such as the president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), president of the International University of Japan, professor at Japan's GRIPS-Tokyo School of Security and I ...

, the former President of the

International University of Japan The is a private university located in Minamiuonuma city in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. IUJ is the first graduate university in Japan, not offering undergraduate degrees, and one of the few Japanese universities which offers all courses in En ...

, from 2015 to 2022. On 1 April 2022, Professor Akihiko Tanaka assumed the presidency of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as the successor to Professor Shinichi Kitaoka.

History

JICA's predecessor, the previous Japan International Cooperation Agency (also known as "JICA"), was a semi-governmental organization under the jurisdiction of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The enti ...

, formed in 1974. The new JICA was formed on October 1, 2003. A major component of the comprehensive overhaul of Japan's ODA decided by the

National Diet The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paral ...

in November 2006, is that the merger in 2008 will be between JICA and that part of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) which currently extends concessional loans to developing countries. Since its completion on 1 October 2008, the new JICA has become one of the largest bilateral development organizations in the world with a network of 97 overseas offices, projects in more than 150 countries, and available financial resources of approximately 1 trillion yen ($8.5 billion). The reorganized agency is also responsible for administering part of Japan's grant aid which is currently under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and so all three major ODA components—technical cooperation, grant aid, and concessional loans—are now managed "under one roof." The new JICA will also strengthen research and training capacity in the years ahead, acting as a kind of ODA

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-govern ...

, contributing to global development strategies, strengthening collaboration with international institutions, and being better able to communicate Japan's position on major development and aid issues. The forthcoming changes will be an extension of a series of JICA reforms which began in October 2003 when it became administratively independent. The organization's domestic establishments including international centers where JICA helps train some 8,000 foreign public officials, researchers, engineers, instructors and community leaders annually in Japan are being streamlined. The organization is also undergoing operational and organizational change in its country offices. Greater emphasis is being placed on a field-based approach to programs/projects, decentralizing staff, and delegating increased authority from Tokyo headquarters to overseas offices, reducing bureaucracy, and fast tracking programs/projects. An increasing number of JICA programs/projects focus on what JICA's former President, Mrs. Sadako Ogata describes as providing "human security". The recently developed concept of "human security" will empower local communities to have a greater say in their own futures by strengthening grassroots programs, such as improving education and health projects.

Timeline

* 1954 Apr - Japan joins

Colombo Plan The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri L ...

and initiates technical cooperation programs * 1962 Jun - Overseas Technology Cooperation Agency (OTCA) established * 1963 Jul - Japan Emigration Service (JEMIS) established * 1965 Apr - Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) program launched * 1974 Aug - OTCA and JEMIS merge to form the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) * 1987 Sep - Disaster Relief Team formed * 1989 - Total official development assistance (ODA) contributions exceed that of the United States to become the highest in the world * 1990 Apr - Senior Cooperation Specialist (Senior Overseas Volunteer) dispatch program begun * 2003 Oct - JICA established as an

Independent Administrative Institution An Incorporated Administrative Agency (独立行政法人, ''Dokuritsu gyōsei hōjin'' or ''Dokugyo'' in abbreviation) is a type of legal corporation formulated by the Government of Japan under the Act on General Rules for Incorporated Administrat ...

Presidents

JICA's current and former presidents: * since April 2022: Akihiko Tanaka * 2015-2022:

* 2012–2015: Akihiko Tanaka * 2003–2012:

Sadako Ogata , was a Japanese academic, diplomat, author, administrator, and professor emerita at the Roman Catholic Sophia University. She was widely known as the head of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) from 1991 to ...

Activities

JICA is part of Japan's official development assistance effort, with a role in providing technical cooperation, capital grants and yen loans. According to the

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate ...

, 2020

official development assistance Official development assistance (ODA) is a category used by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to measure foreign aid. The DAC first adopted the concept in 1969. It ...

from Japan increased 1.2% to USD 16.3 billion. JICA's core development programs (aid modalities) are technical assistance programs/projects for capacity and institutional development, feasibility studies and master plans. The Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV), JICA Senior Volunteers, and Japan Disaster Relief Team groups of JICA are widely known among the Japanese general public and tax-payers. Japan Disaster Relief Team members are often seen in news reports on relief efforts after major

natural disaster A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econ ...

s around the world, such as the

2005 South Asian earthquake The 2005 Kashmir earthquake occurred at on 8 October in Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir. It was centred near the city of Muzaffarabad, and also affected nearby Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some areas of Indian-administered Jammu and ...

. JICA's Mission Statement: "We, as a bridge between the people of Japan and developing countries, will advance international cooperation through the sharing of knowledge and experience and will work to build a more peaceful and prosperous world." ;Major aid modalities *Technical assistance programs/projects for capacity and institutional development *Feasibility studies and master plans *Dispatch of Specialists Specialists dispatched to the field include those recommended from related government ministries and agencies as well as those applying through the specialist registration system. Assignments range from extended stays of over a year to shorter stays of less than one year.

Technical training program

JICA provides technical training for participants from the developing countries in a wide range of fields, including medical, industrial, and agricultural training. * Training within Japan ** Group training *** Field-specific course (Course aimed at deepening understanding of worldwide issues in various fields. Courses are generally between four and 15 people, 10 on average. Course length varies from three weeks to one year.) *** Country/Region-specific course (Course aimed at deepening understanding of issues specific to a country or region) ** Individual training (Generally technical training specific to a project) ** Accommodation ::JICA has its own accommodation facilities for participants of many of its programs. They are located in the important cities in Japan and are generally referred to as International Centers. The one at Tokyo is Tokyo International Center situated in Hatagaya, Shibuya. The facilities are of good quality and details are available in th
JICA website

Volunteer dispatch

* Japan (Youth) Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) * Senior Overseas Volunteers * Nikkei Society Youth Volunteers * Nikkei Society Senior Volunteers

References

External links

*
JICA official website in English
*
JICA official website in Japanese

*
JICA Japan Overseas Migration Museum website
{{Authority control International development agencies International Cooperation Agency International Cooperation Agency Government agencies established in 2003 2003 establishments in Japan